The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently revealed that the Volkswagen emissions scam extends to thousands more cars including the 2015 Porsche Cayenne, the 2014 Touareg and the several more Audi models. In September, it was revealed that as many as 11 million cars were affected worldwide.

West Virginia sued Volkswagen for deceiving car buyers after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the automaker had installed software to hide that its diesel engine vehicles exceeded pollution standards. The state's Attorney General is seeking restitution for VW customers who paid up to nearly $7,000 extra for cars that supposedly had clean diesel engines. Researchers at West Virginia University reportedly used technology pioneered by the EPA to uncover VW's duplicity by exposing the cars on actual road tests. VW then publicly admitted the cheating software.

Robert A. Clifford spoke to a Wall Street Journal reporter about the possibility of the numerous class actions filed around the country and said, "'No doubt about it, there will be an MDL here." An MDL is a multi-district litigation action whereby the federal courts consolidate all similar actions before a single judge to hear the matter.

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, has been contacted by the press all week regarding the filing of a national class action against Volkswagen for the emissions scandal it perpetrated on millions of car drivers. Clifford visited the Chicago studios of Fox Business News and national syndicated radio Friday (Sept. 25, 2015) morning where he spoke of the scam that is affecting some half million people in the U.S. as well as more than 10 million more people worldwide. Clifford said how he spoke of the enormity of this corporate greed and how it is certain that criminal charges will follow, as the U.S. Justice Department and 30 state's attorneys general, including Illinois' Lisa Madigan, are looking into the matter. Clifford also spoke Saturday (Sept. 26, 2015) morning with automotive reporter Steve Brian on WLS 890 AM in Chicago for more than 15 minutes. Brian, who has worked at the station covering the beat for more than two decades, also fielded callers who are very concerned about what they are to do about their vehicles. In introducing Clifford to listeners, Brian said that "Bob Clifford is clearly one of the nation's top tort attorneys." Already Clifford Law Offices has been contacted by more than 1,000 people who are impacted by this consumer fraud scam, Clifford told Brian, and he expects the scope of this to grow as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others continue their investigations into how this happened to cars sold since 2008.

In the wake of the tremendous debacle concerning Volkswagen cars sold since 2008, today its CEO resigned - or some say forced out - for his mishandling of the situation. VW's global CEO Martin Winterkorn, an engineer, told the press that he had no knowledge of the diesel engine dupe, but apologized to the public and accepted responsibility after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered the fraud that appears to have been intentional. The U.S. Justice Department is conducting an investigation in the matter as well as the EPA for VW's violating its pollution standards. Various European organizations also are looking into the matter. Globally, 11 million cars are affected; some half million in the U.S. Winterkorn, 68, has been CEO of the car maker for eight years. In his quitting over the cheating diesel engine scandal, he called it a "grave crisis," and said he was leaving for a "fresh start" for the company. VW had just overtaken Toyota as the world's largest automaker. Now with the public's crisis of confidence, its position there is precarious, industry experts agree. To read his official statement of resignation, go to: http://www.volkswagenag.com/ "For something of this magnitude, one would expect that the CEO .would know, and if he doesn't know, then he's willfully ignorant," said Jeff Thinnes, a former Daimler executive who consults with European companies on compliance and ethics issues. Although other diesel-engine automakers have not been singled out as doing the same, it has put the entire auto industry on the defensive in raising questions about the accuracy of all vehicles' auto emissions.

The class action lawsuit filed on behalf of owners of Volkswagen diesel-engine vehicles has garnered quite a bit of press, even around the globe, especially considering that the German car maker has admitted that up to 11 million vehicles worldwide may be affected by the "defeat devices." Robert A. Clifford, found and senior partner at the firm, spoke to the Chicago Tribune as well as to several other media outlets that resulted in stories that were published in the last 48 hours or that aired on various television networks. In today's Chicago Tribune (Sept. 23, 2015), a story on page three of the Business Section covers the VW lawsuit filed on Chicago plaintiff's behalf by class action lawyer Robert Clifford. The lawsuit seeks class action status, compensatory damages, including those for "emotional distress," and legal fees. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial. Among those that quoted Clifford or mentioned the firm's filing of the case include many of the CBS radio affiliates as well as: MSN - September 23, 2015: http://www.msn.com/en-in/health/medical/volkswagen-hires-kirkland-ellis-to-defend-emissions-cases/vi-AAeFxfU?refvid=BBlWlem The Guardian in London, England - September 23, 2015, Clifford Law Offices mentioned in The Guardian about how VW hired BP oil spill lawyers to defend emissions cases. Several law firms in the US, including Clifford Law Offices, have filed class action law suits against the German company. WGN Radio - The Roe Conn Show - Sept. 22, 2015 - The Honorable Henry R. Simmons (Ret.), Managing Partner at Clifford Law Offices, and Clifford Law is representing two Volkswagen owners who have filed a class action lawsuit against VW. Simmons (Ret.) joins Roe & Anna with a first-hand look at the future of this litigation and the extent of damages. Judge Simmons (Ret.) speaks to Roe Conn for 15 minutes about questions that listeners may have as well as speculating that criminal actions may ensue, particularly since the U.S. Justice Department is conducting its own investigation. ABC National News - Sept. 22, 2015 - ABC News includes in their Volkswagen emissions scandal story that in Chicago, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Micah Dorn, who bought a TDI Clean Diesel engine Volkswagen Jetta in 2013, the suit filed by attorney Robert Clifford. ABC7 - Chicago affiliate, WLS - Sept. 22, 2015 - ABC 7 Chicago covers the VW emissions scandal interviewing Robert Clifford: "There are nearly 500,000 vehicles that are subject to this issue of manipulating the results of environmental testing and the impact of these allegations, if proven to be true by the government, are enormous for the consuming public," says Clifford. September 22, 2015Bob Clifford quoted in Bloomberg Business in "Volkswagen Owners Want Payback" article. "While it's too early to say how VW diesel owners would be compensated, possibilities include payment for a vehicle's loss of value, punitive damages for the company's intentional misconduct and even money for people's emotional distress" according to Clifford. To view more "Hot Off the Press" items involving Robert Clifford and Clifford Law Offices, please visit: http://cliffordlaw.com/clifford-law-hot-press/

Several media outlets have interviewed Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, on yesterday's filing of a class action lawsuit in federal district court on behalf of a Chicago man and an Indiana man who own Jettas. The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois federal district court, alleged numerous allegations against the world's largest automaker for its deceptive and fraudulent business practices regarding the diesel engine cars it sold since 2008. The class members are Micah Dorn of Chicago and Peter Haralovich of Monroe County, Indiana. The Chicago Tribune quoted allegations in the lawsuit: "Even if Volkswagen is able to comply with the EPA order, Dorn, Haralovich and class members will offer actual harm and damages because their vehicles will no longer perform as they did when purchased and will not perform as advertised," according to the 20-page complaint filed by the firm. "This will result in a diminution in value of every affected vehicle, and it will cause owners to pay more for fuel while using their vehicles." To read the entire Tribune story, go to: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ The class action case filed by Clifford Law Offices seeks compensatory damages including those for emotional distress. To learn more about the class action lawsuit filed in Chicago's federal court, go to: http://cliffordlaw.com/volkswagen-class-action-lawsuit/ There you will find an intake form if you are a victim of Volkswagen's deception should you own or lease one of the cars involved in the fraudulent scheme, and frequently asked questions are answered.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reportedly is expanding its search into the so-called "defeat devices" in all diesel engine cars in the country. Industry Week is reporting that the scandal surrounding Volkswagen's deception regarding its diesel engine cars may impact 11 million cars worldwide, according to The New York Times in a story today (Sept. 22, 2015). And industry reports are saying that the EPA may be expanding its emissions probe to other car makers of that type of engine. That would include BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Chevrolet, Jeep and Dodge Ram diesel cars that also may be subject to the EPA's investigation, according to reports. To learn more about if you are a part of the class action lawsuit that has been filed against Volkswagen by Clifford Law Offices in federal district court in Chicago, to go: http://cliffordlaw.com/volkswagen-class-action-lawsuit/ The expanded investigation by the EPA, partnered with the California Air Resources Board, as well as separate investigations by the U.S. Justice Department and Volkswagen itself, according to reports, is looking into software that the automaker installed on diesel engine cars that turn off emissions controls when the car is being driven and turns them back on only when the car is undergoing an emissions test. Some half million cars with four cylinder, two liter VW and Audi diesel engines built since 2008 are affected. The emissions of the vehicles actually can spew out up to 40 times beyond the legal limit allowed under the Clean Air Act of the pollutant nitrogen oxide that can contribute to respiratory problems including asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Today (Sept. 22, 2015) the German automaker, the second largest car manufacturer in the world, said that it was setting aside about $7.3 billion (or about a half year of its' profits) to cover the cost of fixing the VW cars to comply with pollution standards, according to The New York Times.

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, spoke at length to Bloomberg Business reporter Alan Levin in a story, "Volkswagen Owners Want Payback." (Sept. 21, 2015) Clifford spoke about the disappointment of the dozens of people who have called his office in the wake of the deceptive and untruthful advertising as well as its apparent intentional dishonest conduct in stating the environmentally friendly diesel engine models were, in fact, quite the opposite - instead spewing up to 40 times beyond the legal limit of the pollutant nitrous oxide that creates greater smog in the air. "'This is as big a thing as I've seen on the legal landscape in a long time,'" Clifford told Levin in the story. Three reporters combined efforts in reporting the story about several models of the Volkswagen - the Passat, the Beetle, the Jetta, the Golf and the Audi A3 - that have been recalled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for this violation of the Clean Air Act and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations as well as state consumer laws. Some half million vehicles are affected. The Bloomberg story reports that several federal investigations are underway including by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice. Clifford Law Offices filed the complaint Monday (Sept. 21, 2015) in federal district court in Chicago on behalf of two Jetta owners, one in Chicago and the other from Indiana. Both said they would not have bought the car or would have paid much less had they been aware that the environmentally friend feature of the car was not present, the complaint alleges. The Bloomberg story also reports that the popular online car pricing website, Edmonds.com, is advising consumers who own such cars that they are now worth less than before if they are thinking of re-selling these vehicles. The story reports that the only way to fix the problem may be to cut horsepower and fuel economy, another touted feature that these cars get excellent gas mileage. Owners may be facing higher prices at the tank. To find out more about the case or to file an informational report with the law firm, go to www.CliffordLaw.com or email VWLawsuit@CliffordLaw.com

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